Restaurant critic Laura Reiley dined out for nearly 200 meals this past year, so she knows where the best restaurants are in Tampa Bay.  As we roll out her Top 100 Restaurants, here are her picks for best vegetarian. Your fave's not listed? Let us know in the comments section. And if you want all 100 in a handy guide, be sure to pick up a Weekend section in Thursday's St. Petersburg Times.

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Best vegetarian
It was a banner year for vegetarians in the area. A number of raw, vegan and vegetarian restaurants sprang up, and more restaurants realized the importance of including menu items for those who choose to be meat-free. Grass Root, a labor of love presided over by Jenyce Silverstein and Spencer and Sabrina Sterling, is 100 percent vegan and nearly that percentage delicious. Air-dried caramelized onion bread provides the basis for a stunning raw "hummus" sandwich with avocado, sprouts and raw cashew "cheese." Things can take a little while to come out of the kitchen, so sip one of Spencer's amazing juices (spicy carrot, apple and ginger) while you wait. Leafy Greens opened in North Redington Beach, only to have lease problems and move to downtown St. Petersburg (more lease problems loom, but fingers are crossed). Raw food here is accessible and sophisticated, owner Denise Becknell a vocal proponent of the health benefits of a raw diet. Even the skeptic will enjoy the spiraled zucchini "noodles" topped with a raw tomato sauce and sun-dried tomatoes. Veteran Indian restaurant Udipi Cafe serves the vegetarian community with huge Southern Indian dosa pancakes and veggie-studded uthapam (something between a pizza and an omelet), all proof positive that meatless can get spicy.
     Grass Root, pictured, 2702 N Florida Ave., Tampa; (813) 221-7668, thegrassrootlife.com 
     Leafy Greens, 409 Central Ave, St Petersburg; (727) 289-7087, leafygreenscafe.com 
     Udipi Cafe, 14422 N Dale Mabry Hwy., Tampa, (813) 962-7300, udipiusa.net